obedience: agency theory Flashcards
what is meant by ‘agency theory’
people will obey authority when they believe that authority will take responsibility for their actions
define ‘autonomous state’
behaving independently, making own decisions and taking responsibility
define ‘agentic shift’
switch between autonomous and agentic state
define ‘moral strain’
mental discomfort/anxiety when morals conflict with agentic state actions
define ‘agentic state’
When an individual surrenders their free will to an authority figure and carries out any actions they command
define ‘differed responsibility’
putting blame / responsibility of the consequence of their actions on someone else
- scapegoating
how does agency theory explain milgram’s findings?
- Ppts went through the agentic shift as they were following orders given by an authority figure.
- They were also put under moral strain due to administering the shocks which is what caused the nervous laughter out of stress.
- They also differed the responsibility to the experimenter as a defense mechanism to rationalise what they were doing.
define ‘organisational mode’
When the agentic state becomes suppressed due to people working as a group.
Give an example of how we were socialised as children to give up our autonomy to hierarchy.
Obeying authority was reinforced with the use of punishments to stop undesirable behaviour, such as getting grounded for not listening to an instruction given by a parent.
what is a strength of agency theory (PEECA)?
- supporting evidence M
a strength of agency theory is the supporting evidence from Milgram’s study. for example, 65% of ppts followed orders given by an ‘authority figure.’ therefore, this shows they were in the agentic state as they believed the experimenter would take responsibility and they went against any moral strain.
however, the study has low credibility. only 65% reached 450V so this does not account for the remaining 35% who may not have been in the agentic state.
what is a strength of agency theory (PEEIA)?
- supporting evidence H
a strength of agency theory is the supporting evidence from Hofling. for example, 5% of nurses follow instructions and gave an overdose to the patient when a ‘doctor’ told them to over the phone. therefore, this shows that they were in the agentic state due to the doctor seeming a legitimate source of authority.
additionally, the study has high validity. a field experiment was used where the hospital was a natural environment to nurses and they are used to giving dosages. Therefore would reflect their behaviour in a real life situation giving more credibility to the 95% who obeyed.
what is a strength of agency theory (PEE)?
- application
a strength of agency theory is that it has practical applications. for example, it can remove prejudice and accountability of Nazis due to them surrendering their free will to Hitler in the agentic state. therefore, It shows that the agentic state occurs in every day life.
what is a weakness of agency theory (PEE)?
- criticism R
a criticism of agency theory is that it could be reductionist. for example It doesn’t explain why 35% of ppts in Milgram’s (1963) study disobeyed giving the highest shock of 450V. therefore, it doesn’t give an explanation for disobedience making the theory oversimplified.
what is a weakness of agency theory (PEE)?
- criticism D
a criticism of agency theory is that it could be deterministic. for example, It states that people give up their free will when they enter the agentic state and so are not in control of their own actions. however, people are more complex than that with individual differences that allow them to make their own decisions.
